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Top five for each position in the 2015 NFL Draft

By Chris Brent

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January 1, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston (5) runs against the Oregon Ducks in the 2015 Rose Bowl college football game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

This is the time of the year that everyone is excited to see who their teams will be grabbing in the 2015 NFL Draft. Well, at FantasyCPR.com we are also excited to see what these kids will be able to do once they get on the field in the NFL.

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This week we’ve had the NFL combine, featuring potential future stars such as Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Kevin White, Amari Cooper and Todd Gurley. On top of watching the combine this weekend, I have spent the last few weeks covering film on as many players that I could and in light of that I’ve but together a top five for each of the major positions in fantasy football.

Top-5 Quarterbacks:

  1. Jameis Winston, Florida State
  2. Marcus Mariota, Oregon
  3. Brett Hundley, UCLA
  4. Garrett Grayson, Colorado State
  5. Bryce Petty, Baylor

Top-5 Analysis:

Jameis Winston is by far the best quarterback in the class to me. The only reason it is close in some people’s minds is because of the off the field issues. If you take that out of it and just look at the tape, you’ll see that Jameis Winston is the much better prospect. The other three are honestly a coin toss for me. I like Bryce Petty, however Petty misses too many deep throws for me to fall in love with him as a future pro prospect right now.

Player that could sneak into the top-5:

These are my five and these will remain my top-5 quarterbacks throughout the draft process. These five quarterbacks are by far the five best quarterbacks in the draft this season, and I don’t think Sean Mannion or Shane Carden will be able to leap over any of them in my opinion.

Nov 15, 2014; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Todd Gurley (3) runs behind the block of offensive tackle John Theus (71) in the first quarter of their game against the Auburn Tigers at Sanford Stadium. Georgia won 34-7. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Top-5 Running Backs:

  1. Todd Gurley, Georgia
  2. Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin
  3. Jay Ajayi, Boise State
  4. T.J. Yeldon, Alabama
  5. Duke Johnson, Miami

Top-5 Analysis:

This class is so deep at running back that there are potentially ten running back prospects who could play instantly at the NFL level next season. So imagine how tough my job was to just limit it to just five players. Obviously right now, these are currently my five, but I wouldn’t be against them changing from now until the draft.

Todd Gurley is the best running back prospect in the draft, even coming off his ACL tear. Melvin Gordon is a dynamic running back, and I think he’s already better than Montee Ball. Jay Ajayi is a complete back. I love his ability to not only run people over, but I love his ability to catch passes out of the backfield.

Player that could sneak into the top-5:

Jeremy Langford, Michigan State – I’m a big time fan of his game and he’s proven that he has the speed to compete at the next level, along with the size. Langford is listed at 208 pounds and he runs a 4.43 40-yard dash. With that combination of size and speed, along with his pass blocking ability, I think he’s one of the best running backs in this class.

Dec 29, 2014; Memphis, TN, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive back Deshazor Everett (29) and West Virginia Mountaineers wide receiver Kevin White (11) during the game in the 2014 Liberty Bowl at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

Top-5 Wide Receivers:

  1. Kevin White, West Virginia
  2. Amari Cooper, Alabama
  3. Dorial Green- Beckham, Oklahoma
  4. DeVante Parker, Louisville
  5. Jaelen Strong, Arizona State

Top-5 Analysis:

Like running backs, the receiver position is extremely deep and extremely hard to rank. Right now, receiver is the position that I have spent my most time covering so far this offseason. After all of my study, I think that Kevin White is officially the best receiver I’ve seen in the class so far. The only concern about Kevin White was that he wasn’t going to be fast enough to separate at the combine. Well, of course, on Saturday he managed to prove me wrong, running a 4.35 40-yard dash time.

Amari Cooper is by far the most polished player in the class though. He does everything well, plus he also possesses a rare ability to run efficient routes. Route running really isn’t a skill that can be taught, and Cooper has proven that he is a step ahead of everyone in that category.

To me, if it wasn’t for the off the field stuff this is where I would have Dorial Green-Beckham. I like Green-Beckham’s size, but he is a raw receiver. In his sophomore year at Missouri, he ran about three different routes. I’d like to see him be able to complete the route tree a little bit more in order to move him up my board, but he is a generational talent.

Player that could sneak into the top-5:

Tyler Lockett, Kansas State – I don’t think he is ever going to reach my top-5, but I love him as a prospect. He catches nearly everything that is thrown his way and I don’t expect that trait to change heading into the NFL. Now, Lockett doesn’t posses ideal size, but he is a talented wide receiver

Jan 1, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers tight end Maxx Williams (88) during the second half in the 2015 Citrus Bowl at Florida Citrus Bowl. Missouri wins 33-17 over Minnesota. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Top-5 Tight Ends:

  1. Maxx Williams, Minnesota
  2. Jesse James, Penn State
  3. Clive Walford, Miami (FL)
  4. Nick O’Leary, Florida State
  5. Jeff Heuerman, Ohio State

Top-5 Analysis:

Honestly, this is the position that I’ve seen the least amount of tape on. So this is based off of more of what I’ve heard than actually seen. From what I’ve seen, I actually like Jesse James as the best tight end in the class because of his size. However, everyone is talking up Williams and with me only seeing one game of his, I shouldn’t hold it against him that I haven’t seen enough of him yet.

Player that could sneak into top-5:

I haven’t seen enough of all the tight ends to say okay, this guy is going to sneak into my top-5 tight ends. I don’t think any one tight end is good enough from what I’ve currently seen from this tight end class.

Next: First Round Rookie Mock Draft

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